Exercise promotes better sleep

Sleep is one of the most basic human needs, yet millions of Americans don’t get enough of it most nights. Whether it’s due to anxiety, insomnia, work, pain, technology or simply not having enough time, it’s been increasingly hard for many of us to just drift off and wake up well-rested the next day. Scientists have long been trying to figure out the best ways to help exhausted folks improve their cycles, and many have noted that working out is a helpful habit to get more rest. Now, there’s even more evidence to support the exercise and sleep link.

According to a National Sleep Foundation survey, people who exercise more get better sleep than those who do not exercise regularly — even when they get the same number of hours per night. The poll included 1,000 people, 9% of which reported getting no physical activity whatsoever, 48% said they regularly got light physical activity, 25% stated they were moderately active and 18% said they got regular vigorous exercise. Both the people who exercised and the non-exercisers reported getting 6 hours and 51 minutes of sleep on a workday and 7 hours and 37 minutes of sleep on non-workdays. (Honestly, I was a little surprised with these numbers — I thought the stat of sedentary lifestyles reported would be higher, as well as assuming the amount of sleep to be lower.)